Home Health & Hospice Week

Don’t get too detailed on the HHABNs you hand out, or you may cause yourself extra paperwork.

For example: If the patient signs a home health advance beneficiary notice accepting liability for nursing services for nine weeks, the home health agency is on the hook for any visits furnished after that time period, says HHH Medicare Administra-tive Contractor NHIC in a newly posted question-and-answer document. You’ll need to issue a new HHABN for subsequent visits, or be held financially liable for the additional visits.

The way to avoid this problem is to refrain from including such limitations on the ABN. “It could be appropriate to list the noncovered services as nursing services without a frequency or duration,” NHIC suggests in the Q&A at www.medicarenhic.com/RHHI/billing/QAHHABN021413.pdf.